EU shuts out Chinese medical suppliers from European market in retaliatory trade move

Published on 20/06/2025 - 12:36 GMT+2

The European Commission has formally introduced restrictions previously reported by Euronews successful consequence to what it describes arsenic discriminatory barriers imposed by China against European aesculapian instrumentality manufacturers.

Following a elaborate investigation, nan Commission recovered "clear evidence" that China had been unfairly blocking EU-made aesculapian devices from its nationalist procurement market.

This marks nan first countermeasure taken nether nan International Procurement Instrument (IPI), which came into unit successful August 2022 to beforehand adjacent entree for EU firms to procurement opportunities extracurricular nan bloc.

“Our purpose pinch these measures is to level nan playing section for EU businesses. We stay committed to speech pinch China to resoluteness these issues,” said Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič.

Under nan caller rules, Chinese companies are barred from bidding connected nationalist contracts for aesculapian devices successful nan EU azygous marketplace that transcend €5 million. Additionally, successful bids must incorporate nary much than 50% of inputs originating from China.

According to nan Commission, nan measures are proportionate to China's ain restrictions and are designed to guarantee nan continued readiness of captious aesculapian instrumentality for EU healthcare systems. Exceptions will use successful cases wherever nary viable replacement suppliers are available.

The Commission pointed retired that nan determination aligns pinch world waste and acquisition obligations, including those nether nan World Trade Organization (WTO), noting that nan EU has nary binding procurement commitments pinch China.

EU-based aesculapian instrumentality companies person agelong struggled to entree China’s procurement market, contempt China being 1 of nan bloc’s largest export destinations for specified products, accounting for 11% of exports successful 2022.

The Commission’s investigation focused connected China's authorities procurement law, which enforces a "Buy China" policy, requiring nationalist institutions to prioritise home products and services.

The probe identified respective barriers faced by EU firms, including opaque support processes, discriminatory certification practices, ambiguous nationalist liking clauses utilized to exclude overseas suppliers, and unsustainable pricing requirements.

According to a 2025 Commission report, 87% of nationalist procurement contracts for aesculapian devices successful China were taxable to exclusionary and discriminatory practices against EU suppliers.

The caller EU measures travel astatine a delicate infinitesimal successful EU-China relations, which are undergoing a cautious negotiated reset.

 Both sides person intensified efforts to negociate longstanding disputes amid shifting world dynamics, including nan aftermath of nan Trump-era waste and acquisition wars and ongoing US-China tensions.

A cardinal milestone successful this renewed speech is nan upcoming EU-China Summit, now scheduled to return spot successful Beijing successful nan 2nd half of July 2025.

Meanwhile, reciprocal actions proceed to specify nan waste and acquisition relationship. China has extended its anti-dumping investigation into EU pork imports by six months, while nan EU precocious imposed tariffs of up to 45% connected Chinese electrical vehicles (EVs), reflecting a strategical shape of targeting politically delicate industries up of high-level negotiations.